Kenyans Steal the Show at Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon
Stanley Biwott
PHILADELPHIA – (September 16, 2012) – Stanley Biwott and Sharon Cherop, the two favorites in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon, lived up to their advance billing on Sunday, winning their respective divisions easily. The Kenyans, both wearing bib #1, pulled away in the latter half of the 13.1-mile race and ran uncontested toward the finish line.
Biwott, 26, winner of the Paris Marathon in a sparkling 2:05:12 earlier this year and who ran a 59:44 half-marathon in March, finished today’s race in 1 hour, 3 seconds, the third fastest time ever run in the 35-year-history of the storied race. Cherop, 28, winner of this year’s Boston Marathon and the marathon bronze medalist at the 2011 World Championships, took the women’s event in 1:07:21, the 2nd fastest time on U.S. soil behind only Kim Smith’s U.S. All Comers Record of 1:07:11, set at Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia in 2011.
Perhaps the reason neither Biwott nor Cherop came close to their career bests was the lack of opposition at the end. Paul Lonyongata, who trains with Biwott, was the men’s runner-up in 1:00:43. He said he was hampered by a left hamstring injury. Dathan Ritzenhein, a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team in the 10,000 meters, finished third in 1:00:57, the fastest by an American this year.
Mare Dibaba, who competed for Ethiopia in the London Games and is her country’s record-holder in the half-marathon at 1:07:13, finished runner-up at 1:07:44. Kenya’s Jemima Jelegat Sumgong was third in 1:08:39.
Biwott and the 19-year-old Lonyongata pulled away from the men’s field at four miles and ran stride for stride until mile eight. Then, Biwott surged and Lonyongata, running the half-marathon for only the second time, was left far behind. After that, Biwott was in control and ran the remaining distance like he was going through a training run.
“I was testing myself,” Biwott said, who will run in the ING New York City Marathon in November. “I didn’t have any problems. I think I have the speed to run well in New York. If someone had been with me, I might have been able to set a PR. It was a very nice course, very flat. And the weather was good.”
“I was looking for my best time, but I didn’t hit it,” said Longonyata, making his U.S. debut and aiming to run close to 59 minutes or under. “I was feeling strong when Stanley passed me. But I also felt the injury.”
Ritzenhein, running in Philadelphia for the first time since he was a high school senior in 2001, said he wasn’t sure what to expect because he is preparing for the Oct. 7 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Ritzenhein found it difficult to keep up with the two leaders.
“They (the two Kenyans) broke away about 5K and I stayed in third place the rest of the way,” Ritzenhein said. “I wanted to run a good, solid race, about a 4:35 or 4:40 pace. And that’s what I did. Training for the marathon makes it so hard to respond to those fast miles, and I couldn’t. The first mile was slow. Then they took off. I ran 4:25 for the second mile, they ran 4:21. They were running fast miles and I couldn’t keep up.”
Still, he was satisfied with his performance. “I’m very happy with today,” the three-time Olympian said. “This gives me a lot of confidence and hopefully I can have a good run in Chicago. I want to be able to run 2:06 in Chicago.” His marathon best is 2:09:55, at the U.S. Olympic Trials in January, when he finished fourth.
In the women’s competition, the top three finishers ran even for about the first 9.5 miles. Then, Cherop and Dibaba pulled away from Sumgong. By mile 11, Cherop was ahead by nine seconds and nearly doubled her advantage by mile 12.
Cherop, who also is prepping for the New York City Marathon, had finished fourth at Philadelphia in 2007. She said she was much more confident this time. “I knew I was going to win at 10 miles,” she said.
The field of about 20,000 runners ran along a historic course that went past City Hall, along Market Street, alongside the Schuylkill River and ended at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The race has attracted some of the sport’s greatest runners in history and has produced five world records, three U.S. marks and numerous all-comers’ records. The race was run under ideal conditions, with the temperature at 58 degrees and no wind.
American Idol star Haley Reinhart headlined the finish line concert, following the 13.1 mile block party with bands interspersed along every mile of the course. Reinhart took third place on Season 10 of the hit talent show, singing her way into fans’ hearts with her smoky voice.
35th Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon
Philadelphia, PA, Sunday, September 16, 2012
MEN
1) Stanley Biwott, 26, Kenya, 1:00:03, $3500
2) Paul Lonyangata, 19, Kenya, 1:00:43, $2000
3) Dathan Ritzenhein, 29, Portland, OR, 1:00:57, $2000 (includes U.S. only prize money)
4) El Hassan El Abbassi, 28, Morocco, 1:01:15, $1000
5) Eric Chichir, 28, Kenya, 1:02:31, $750
WOMEN
1) Sharon Cherop, 28, Kenya, 1:07:21, $3500
2) Mare Dibaba, 22, Ethiopia, 1:07:44, $2000
3) Jemima Jelegat Sumgong, 27, Kenya, 1:08:39, $1500
4) Lineth Chepkirui, 24, Kenya, 1:11:16, $1,000
5) Kaori Yoshida, 31, Japan, 1:12:16, $750
